Dream Big and Discover What’s Important
My parents had a yard sale a few weeks ago. They are selling everything and moving to Italy to live their dream life. My mom offered to give me some of their stuff, but I reminded her that I was getting rid of stuff, not taking it home. Interestingly, I did take stuff home from the yard sale. I also took home two very important lessons.
1. Stuff is not important My parents were willing to sell just about everything they owned to live their dream of living in Italy. I even grew up with some of their stuff. They held on to it for decades, even paying to store it for a period of time. Now, when stuff is in the way of a dream, it is not important anymore.
2. Some stuff is important. My mom was selling a bunch of her cookbooks, which I know was really tough for her. She has been using some of the same cookbooks for more than thirty years. She likes how her cookbooks naturally open to the food stained pages of her favorite recipes.
One of the cookbooks she was selling was the “The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook”. I noticed that almost everyone that stopped by the yard sale picked it up and their eyes lit up. “This is the best cookbook” or “I had that cookbook!” and stories would follow. One cookbook evoked so many different memories that it was hard to overlook. I composed myself though and stuck to my I don’t need your stuff guns. It wasn’t until one customer remarked on the inscription on the inside front cover. 
My daughter walked over to look and said, “My great-grandmother’s name is in here.” When I saw that my grandfather had written my grandmother’s name and the date that he gave her the cookbook, along with the look in my daughter’s eye, I knew that book was coming home with us.
Getting rid of stuff seems to be the minimalistic way, but the key is to discover your dream life. If you can identify the life, the dream life that makes your stuff unimportant, you can start working on it. Don’t worry about the details today. Don’t worry if your dream doesn’t look like your friend’s or neighbor’s dream. Dream big, dream thoughtfully and write it down.
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24 Responses to “Dream Big and Discover What’s Important”
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I loved this:
Now, when stuff is in the way of a dream, it is not important anymore.
I have one such book — my father’s US Navy “Bluejacket’s Manual.” It doesn’t make any sense, but can’t dispose of it, either.
Thanks Odette. When I photographed this book, my daughter said, “You aren’t getting rid of my book right?” She is used to me taking a picture and getting rid of stuff, but not this time!
I have a copy of The Prophet given to me by my mother. She’d taken my dad’s copy of the book and highlighted the same passages in mine…that’s important stuff. I like that you talk about how just getting rid of loads of stuff won’t make a dream life and that it is truly considering what sings to your heart that will do just that.
Emma, I love that.
You are pretty lucky that you were able to get that! <3
Come on over and I will cook for you little sister.
Not only do I agree with your post but you gave me a couple of chuckles and a few head nods.
I also have food stained cookbooks. Some people think it’s gross (I have found :O) but I always feel it is the mark of a good one.
I also think it’s fantastic that your parents are following their dream and their dream sounds dreamy!! I bet your Mum will be pleased you kept her book too
I tend towards minimalism and am not overly sentimental about keepsakes etc, but I do keep a few special things. I lost a meaningful embroidered Indian rug just the other day which was one of those ”special” items. The children had been playing with it and left it in a box…I guess to our cat it looked very much like a litter box. By the time I found this mess it had been sitting for some time as it was quite out of the way. Shrug – in the end it’s just stuff.
Thanks for a thoughtful post.
Thanks Majeeda. Those food stains only means that the stove and cookbook are really close together AND that you cook with passion!
How wonderful, for your parents!!!
And a great lesson, in this post.
Thanks Amelia!
Hurray for your parents! I’m so excited for them. (And now you can have family visits to Italy!)
Great post reminding us that some ‘things’ even though they’re just things can still be very meaningful.
Willow, I can’t wait to experience Italy once my parents are there. I love to see a city with the eyes of a tourist but the heart of a local!
I’m italian (living in Italy) and I think it’s cool that your parents are willing to move this far to follow their dream
Italy is not so bad after all…
I would agree. No so bad!
It can be so difficult to break our emotional ties to objects, and there are some things that just can’t be parted with for the deepest sentimental reasons…but I wish I was better at sorting out the things I have emotional ties to!
Clara, some of those things are meant to stick around…until they aren’t. When something more important comes around, you take the memories and move forward!
I have a weakness for cookbooks. I was hoping you would make an exception and keep it ~ especially when you said it had family history. Now with your mom moving so far away you’ll be able to recreate one of those dishes that are “bookmarked” by the creased spine and imagine she’s right there with you…
Lindsay, I am really thinking about how happy I am that they are making this move and how rich their lives will be, and not about how sad I will be when they go. It is a bittersweet change (that will involve lots of trips to Italy for me!)
Courtney,
Such a pleasure reading your blog – and this post sings to me. I am far from being a minimalist – just getting my declutter wings, but I am understanding the importance of surrounding myself with meaningful “things” be it photos or cookbooks or a piece of my history. I am having a wonderful time working through my “things”, taking photos of the ones that held special places in my heart before sending them on their way, passing on pieces that no longer serve a useful purpose and removing those “things” which serve to punish or negate my efforts (obligatory items from people – we all have them)
The feeling of liberation is so exhilarating – beats post purchase/acquisition blues any day. Thanks for sharing
Lotta, Not only do you get that great feeling of freedom, but great opportunities become more clearly defined. By letting go, you are free to do what is most important to you.